Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries. The beginning of the Empire is usually taken as the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, who ascended the throne in 1611, and its end as the loss of territories in 1721 following the Great Northern War. Description Appearance The Swedish Empire is depicted as a man and is usually represented with a military suit of commanders of the time. Personality The Swedish empire is the main power of Northern Europe and is known to be provocative and an "annoyance" to most of his enemies. The Swedish Empire is very obsessed with global power and has tried to achieve it in many ways. But despite everything, their colonies, like New Sweden, have not been very successful. The Swedish Empire is very upset that the other European empires forget about it. History After the death of Gustavus Adolphus in 1632, the empire was controlled for lengthy periods by part of the high nobility, such as the Oxenstierna family, acting as regents for minor monarchs. The interests of the high nobility contrasted with the uniformity policy (i.e., upholding the traditional equality in status of the Swedish estates favoured by the kings and peasantry). In territories acquired during the periods of de facto noble rule, serfdom was not abolished, and there was also a trend to set up respective estates in Sweden proper. The Great Reduction of 1680 put an end to these efforts of the nobility and required them to return estates once gained from the crown to the king. Serfdom, however, remained in force in the dominions acquired in the Holy Roman Empire and in Swedish Estonia, where a consequent application of the uniformity policy was hindered by the treaties by which they were gained. After the victories in the Thirty Years' War, Sweden reached the climax of the great-power era during the Second Northern War, when its primary adversary, Denmark, was neutralized by the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. However, in the further course of this war, as well as in the subsequent Scanian War, Sweden was able to maintain its empire only with the support of its closest ally, France. Charles XI of Sweden consolidated the empire. But a decline began with his son, Charles XII. After initial Swedish victories, Charles secured the empire for some time in the Peace of Travendal (1700) and the Treaty of Altranstädt (1706), before the disaster that followed the king's war in Russia. The Russian victory at the Battle of Poltava put an end to Sweden's eastbound expansion, and by the time of Charles XII's death in 1718 only a much-weakened and far smaller territory remained. The last traces of occupied continental territory vanished during the Napoleonic Wars, and Finland went to Russia in 1809. In older Swedish history telling, Gustavus Adolphus and especially Charles XII were heroic warriors. Sweden is the only Scandinavian country to have ever reached the status of a military great power. Relationships Friends * Austria-Hungary * British Empire * Kingdom of France * Portuguese Empire * Prussia * Spanish Empire Neutral * First French Empire * Kingdom of Denmark and Norway * Ottoman Empire * Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (ex-wife) * Tokugawa Shogunate * United States Enemies * Dutch Empire * Russian Empire Past Versions * Kalmar Union Future Versions * Sweden and Norway Trivia * Despite being one of the main European powers, the Swedish Empire is not well known popularly and historically. Probably due to its short duration. * During the War of the Spanish Succession, the Swedish Empire had the opportunity to claim the crown of the Spanish Empire. However, the fight against the Russian Empire during the Great Northern War prevented it. This is one of the reason why the characters representing the current Sweden and Spain are represented as a married couple. Specifically, due to the little historical and political recognition that unites the Nordic countries and the Greco-Latin countries of Europe. Apart from the maritime history that both countries share from the Romans, the Visigoths and the Vikings. References * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Empire * https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormaktstiden Category:Characters Category:Former Countries Category:Europe Category:The Americas Category:Africa Category:Everything Category:Nordic countries Category:Empires Category:Christian Countries Category:Protestant Countries Category:Northern Europe